The Australian Tourism Exchange 2005, the largest international trade show in the Southern Hemisphere, held in Perth in June, was touted as the most important event in the history of the state’s tourism industry.
Tourism WA, which project managed the event, won much of the praise for what former Australian Tourist Commission managing director John Morse called “the best ATE in 23 years”.
And it seems the judges in the StateWest Achievement Awards group category agreed.
Tourism WA’s director of media and communication, Sheryl Fewster, said the group was dedicated and commi-tted to continuing improvement and better outcomes for Western Aust-ralians by growing the state’s tourism faster than the national average.
“The project management of the event allowed many people to come together to implement a plan to deliver on budget and on time a flawless event,” she told WA Business News.
“A steering committee was formed with representation from across the full tourism spectrum, which supported the project team.”
Ms Fewster said Tourism WA used its major strategic objectives, including increasing awareness and visitation to Perth, enhancing visitor experiences, growing regional tourism, and attracting investment to make the tourism exchange the success it was.
The key for Tourism WA was ensuring delegates attended as many familiarisation tours as possible. The end result was almost 600 delegates through 77 different itineraries.
Of equal importance was the organisation of several functions.
“Instead of run-of-the mill dinners and sundowners, Tourism WA used these opportunities to display WA’s finest food, wine, sites and entertainment,” Ms Fewster said.
“On nights when events weren’t planned, Tourism WA’s exhibition stand hosted a ‘happy hour’ at the end of the day. At a gala event attended by all delegates on the South Perth foreshore, guests were exposed to the best this state has to offer, in the form of a mini food, wine and tourism fair.”
And Ms Fewster said Tourism WA took a risk and held a 400-person function 40 minutes from event headquarters at Little Creatures Brewing Pty Ltd.
In all, 750 buyer delegates from more than 570 companies including 130 new buyers attended, as did more than 1930 seller delegates from 570 companies, 100 of them new clients.
